HKT to EST
Hong Kong is 13 hours ahead of New York in winter and 12 hours ahead from mid-March to early November. 8:00 AM in Hong Kong is 7:00 PM the previous evening in New York in January and 8:00 PM in July.
The Hang Seng on New York's evening shift
Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing trades from 9:30 AM to noon and 1:00 to 4:00 PM. On New York clocks that is 8:30 PM to 3:00 AM in winter and 9:30 PM to 4:00 AM in summer, the night before. Banks with desks in both cities pass the book east in the New York evening and west again in the Hong Kong evening, so between them the market is watched around the clock.
Weather used to stop the clock. Until 2024, a No. 8 typhoon signal or a black rainstorm warning shut Hong Kong trading for the day. Since September 2024 the exchange keeps trading in severe weather, so American investors no longer get a surprise day off in the Hong Kong market during typhoon season.
A fixed UTC+8 and a moving New York
Hong Kong has not used summer time since 1979 and stays on UTC+8. New York moves from EST (UTC−5) to EDT (UTC−4) on the second Sunday of March and back on the first Sunday of November, so the gap is 13 hours in the cold months and 12 in the warm ones. Hong Kong time is identical to Beijing, Singapore, Taipei and Manila time, which is handy when one call covers several Asian offices.
Cathay Pacific's nonstop to New York takes around 16 hours. Leaving Hong Kong in the morning, you land in New York around midday of the same date, having gained back most of the flight on the clock.
Cities on these zones
HKT → EST quick reference
Every hour of the day, using today's offsets (daylight saving is applied automatically).
| HKT | EST |
|---|---|
| 12:00 AM | 12:00 PM−1 |
| 1:00 AM | 1:00 PM−1 |
| 2:00 AM | 2:00 PM−1 |
| 3:00 AM | 3:00 PM−1 |
| 4:00 AM | 4:00 PM−1 |
| 5:00 AM | 5:00 PM−1 |
| 6:00 AM | 6:00 PM−1 |
| 7:00 AM | 7:00 PM−1 |
| 8:00 AM | 8:00 PM−1 |
| 9:00 AM | 9:00 PM−1 |
| 10:00 AM | 10:00 PM−1 |
| 11:00 AM | 11:00 PM−1 |
| HKT | EST |
|---|---|
| 12:00 PM | 12:00 AM |
| 1:00 PM | 1:00 AM |
| 2:00 PM | 2:00 AM |
| 3:00 PM | 3:00 AM |
| 4:00 PM | 4:00 AM |
| 5:00 PM | 5:00 AM |
| 6:00 PM | 6:00 AM |
| 7:00 PM | 7:00 AM |
| 8:00 PM | 8:00 AM |
| 9:00 PM | 9:00 AM |
| 10:00 PM | 10:00 AM |
| 11:00 PM | 11:00 AM |
- Difference right now
- EST 12 hours behind HKT
- Shared office hours
- No weekday working hours overlap; one side has to stretch before 9:00 or after 17:00.
- Daylight saving
- Only EST shifts its clocks
An evening wrap-up from Hong Kong
Besides the classic New York evening call, the other workable slot is early morning on the East Coast: 7:00 AM in New York is 8:00 PM in Hong Kong in winter and 7:00 PM in summer, a good moment for a Hong Kong team to hand over the day. The Hong Kong to Pacific time page has the West Coast view.
Clock changes this year
- —HKT: no clock changes this year
- Mar 8, 2026EST: clocks go forward, UTC−5 → UTC−4
- Nov 1, 2026EST: clocks go back, UTC−4 → UTC−5
Other conversions with these zones
Frequently asked questions
- Does Hong Kong have daylight saving time?
- No. Hong Kong last used summer time in 1979 and has stayed on UTC+8 all year since.
- What time does the Hang Seng open in New York?
- The 9:30 AM Hong Kong open is 8:30 PM the previous evening in New York in winter and 9:30 PM in summer.
- Does Hong Kong stock trading stop for typhoons?
- Not anymore. Since September 2024, Hong Kong's exchange keeps trading under typhoon signal No. 8 and black rainstorm warnings.
- How long is the flight from Hong Kong to New York?
- About 15 to 16 hours nonstop. The return from New York takes slightly longer and lands in Hong Kong two calendar days later by local time when it leaves late at night.